As an older sister and a Disney pass holder, I lost track of how many times I have been to the Disney parks. Do not get me wrong, there are plenty of things you can do across the six parks in Orlando, but at one point, it can get a bit boring doing the same things over and over again.
Luckily, I have a close friend that used to work in the parks. He gave me some advice of the “hidden” things we can do while visiting the most magical place in the world, and I am about to share those with you!
The first thing is not a super-secret, but you would be surprised with how many people do not know about it. Have you ever stood on the main street, staring at the Cinderella’s castle, wishing you childhood’s dream were true? You, a princess, living in a castle. Well, the truth is that in the towers of the castle, there is a royal suite. The suite was primarily going to be an apartment for Walt Disney and his family, but construction was never finished. When he passed away, Disney decided to repurpose the apartment for his guests. The downside of it is that you cannot pay your way into the suite. The only way you can have an overnight stay in Cinderella’s castle is by being invited or winning a contest.
Photo courtesy of Disney Parks
If you want to explore different things Disney has to offer, you can pay a visit to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. At night, they have a campfire sing-a-long with “Chip ‘n’ Dale.” Trust me, it is a fun activity to do and it is free. You do not have to stay at the resort to go to the event. During the campfire, you can enjoy live music, take pictures with the characters, watch a Disney movie, make s’mores, and have a couple of drinks. I took my sisters a couple of times and I honestly cannot say who had more fun. Disney always brings the child in me back to life.
Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World
There are a couple of other “secrets” some people do not know about. My other favorite is called Character Palooza, which is an event that cannot be found in any Disney schedule. You can meet characters that are rare to be seen around the parks. The event usually last for 20 minutes and it starts around 4:00 p.m. in the Streets of America, Echo Lake, or by the gates of the Tower of Terror in the Hollywood Studios park. I also found the event happening at the gates between Canada and the United Kingdom at Epcot once.
Photo courtesy of Camila Nakandakari
Do not be late! Once everyone is in, the park close the gates. I cannot tell you exactly when the event is happening because they are not scheduled daily, but is worth taking the risk if you are already in the park. There are always a couple of people waiting around. Ask them if they are there for the Character Palooza, and they usually are.
Have fun exploring Disney!